


Soft Smiles and Strong Ties

by grungedirection



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Comfort, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 13:01:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11944782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grungedirection/pseuds/grungedirection
Summary: A look into the Even/Sana friendship that we never got that includes the Ballon Squad being the ridiculously clueless Balloon Squad and a little bit of miscommunication.





	Soft Smiles and Strong Ties

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This is my first written foray into this friendship! Please leave comments letting me know how I did :~) I'm thinking of tackling the Isak/Eva friendship next?

“Sana?”

Even mumbled, as his long legs cut through the crowded hallway, calculating the shortest distance from his current spot to the girl’s locker. The laughter of his classmates, the howling of teenage boys, the shrill voices of teachers trying to cut through the nonsense that makes up passing time, all of these noises were unable to penetrate the steel walls that surrounded Even’s mind. 

He only knew what he felt in this moment, sweaty palms, a heartbeat reminiscent of the ticking of a clock radiating from inside his ribcage, radio silence.

The boy hated this, how his mind triggered unsavory reactions from his physical being. He hated it, but he began to understand that taking the time to sit down and rearrange his thoughts into cohesive bodies with the ones he loves, Isak, his mom and now, Sana, helped him.

Sana was strong, but she was a light, her strength seemed to rub off on everyone who she deemed worthy of her presence. 

Sensing the closeness of another body, Sana lifted her gaze, removing her line of sight from peering inside of her locker and locked eyes with Even. His hair looked as if he nervously ran his fingers through out consistently for the last ten minutes, the top button on his shirt had been undone, a sign that Even needed air, felt constricted. 

Since Isak and Sana had grown close over their love for biology (and one another, though neither would admit that out loud, the closest they came was the sarcastically exchanged words, “best bud”), Sana had been spending a lot of time with Isak and Even. More time than ever before, even those times she spent with Even in secret.

Sana loved Isak’s overgrown boyfriend too, had always loved him and the way he complimented her mom’s cooking, the way he held Elias when he broke his arm that one time and had to wait for the ambulance, the way Even would always invite Sana on the boys’ trips to the convenience store down the block, buying her ice creams with his allowance money as Elias ignored her entirely.

When everything went awry at Bakka, when Sana overheard her brother and the boys, excluding Even, talking about what had happened as they huddled into one another in Elias’ room, with Mikael, with the Quran, with the posts and condemnations, Sana wasn’t mad. How could she be? Even saw her when no one else did.

Sana slid away, not bothering with checking the posts, or with Mikael’s confused condemnation and took to her bed. Even had always been fiery, energetic and unpredictable, it’s what Sana loved about him, but Even had also been sad too. Seemingly tangled inside his head. She saw the way he looked at Mikael during Bakkoush dinners, she saw him grasp onto Sonja’s hand tightly, so tight, too tight. 

Sana saw everything, with everyone, always. Observing kept her safe, but maybe, just maybe, Sana thought, she should have voiced some of her observations. Maybe she should have told Elias that Even was too fiery, too sad, too committed all the time. 

With the excuse of having to attend a revue group, Sana left her house and the gossiping confused boys.

She passed houses and restaurants, stoplights and quiet grocery shops, until she stood face-to-face with a wooden door. One she’d only seen once before, when Elias forgot his phone charger at home and paid her a week’s allowance to deliver it to him while he hung out at Even’s.

Silence filled the corridor as she suddenly realized this wasn’t her place. Was it? 

It was, she decided. She loved Even’s passion, his compassion, his knack for always making her feel included.

With that, Sana raised a tight fist and knocked. 

Sana came back again after that first visit with Even. She came back once a week actually, a secret she kept from her mom, her dad, Elias, Yousef, Mikael, Adam, Mutta and as the year began and Even began popping up at Nissen, it was a secret she kept from Vilde, Eva, Noora, Chris and Isak too.

But Sana doesn’t have to keep Even a secret anymore, she thinks, as she takes in his nervous demeanor and heavy eyes in the middle of Nissen’s hallway. The boys and Even had reconciled, but Even, Even was still so nervous about their relationships, a fear he shared with Sana during one of their weekly “friend dates,” if you wanted to call it what Even, and now Isak, had started referring to their meetups as. 

She slid a smile onto her face, hoping to comfort the giant in front of her as she returned to the present moment and replied, “Follow me.”

Even did just that, following her small form through crowds of over excited teens. He followed her after the bell ringed and he continued to trail behind her, silently, picking at his callouses, a nervous habit, as she abruptly stopped in front of the window that rested between two stairwells. A hideout for Nissen students who didn’t want to be found.

Sitting on the window’s molding, Sana smiled as he pointed her finger from Even to the spot next to her. Lost in his thoughts, the boy smiled for a quick second, his grin making his heavy eyes crinkle, as he laughed at Sana’s impatience. 

“So, why the long face? Wanted to match the long body, hm?” Sana jested, gently poking at Even’s clothed shoulder.

“Ha, ha Sana,” Even replied, his finger now at his mouth, his teeth digging into his nails, his callouses, anything that could relieve his anxiety. 

“I, I just, maybe I’m overthinking this, but, you know how I’m back in the group chat with your brother and the boys?”

“Mhm.”

“Well, today, they were talking about hook-ups and-” Even looked up, saw one of Sana’s brows lift and arch, never a good sign. He spluttered as he continued, “Of course not Yousef, you know that. All he ever talks about is how much he misses you and how good the food in Turkey is. Sometimes he sidechats me to ask me how you’ve been doing and to ask how Isak and I are, it’s nice.” 

Even smiles as he thinks how he never thought he’d have that, a friendship, shared confessions, with Yousef ever again after what happened at Bakka.

Sana smiles, knowing just how much the reconciliation means to both her boyfriend and Even. Dimples appear in her cheeks and her and Even lock eyes, sharing a tender moment. 

“Okay, it’s nice hearing Yousef misses me, even though I hear it from his clingy ass everyday, but what’s up with the groupchat, you okay?” Sana prods gently, a smile still on her face and her eyes soft.

Even visibly shrinks at the mention, his shoulders hunching in on his body, his nostalgic smile falling from his face.

“I don’t know, it might be stupid, it might be me overthinking, but today they were talking about hook ups and after Mutta bragging about hooking up with a girl at a party last friday, Mikael chimed in.”

“Okay?” Sana said, quietly, leaning into Even to see his downturned face. 

His voice became quiet and hesitant as he said, “He spoke about how it wouldn’t be that bad hooking up with a guy, maybe, and how all the guys should try it, and I don’t know I froze at that, but then he sent another text.”

“What’s it say?”

“It said, ‘Right Even?’ like he was mocking me.” At this, Even’s fingers found his hair, his hands found his scalp and he began running his fingers through his golden strands, trying to calm himself down.

“Oh. Even, Even look at me,” Sana said, placing her hand under his chin, gently forcing his head upwards.

Even bit his lip, but his glance was now fixed on Sana’s face.

“Even, the boys were at my house last night and before you get upset about them not inviting you, they met last night to talk about you.” 

Even shrunk further. 

“No, no that came out wrong,” Sana spoke fast, to reconcile what her words had done to Even’s posture. “They were trying to come up with ways to make you feel comfortable, so that you never have to feel alone again.”

Sana began to ramble as she thought back to yesterday, the way Elias wrote all their ideas down on a piece of paper, with a crisp, “Win Back Even” written on the top in black sharpie. 

“Listen most of their ideas were stupid, but they’re boys, so what do you expect? I was listening in as I was helping mamma make dinner and listen to this,” Sana laughed as she spoke, her eyes crinkled and her smile became infectious. “One of their ideas was to download the playlists on your Spotify and learn all the music you love. Another was to all show up to a party wearing your favorite color, which they couldn’t decide on by the way. Mutta and Adam swore it was blue, but Elias and Yousef, who Skyped in- he Skyped in Even, it was so funny- shot that down and said it's been green ever since you met Isak.”

The sad boy laughed, his body unfurled. The hand that was previously running through his hair found itself on his thigh, craving Isak.

“They’re idiots, Even, but they love you and in their small pea minds, they equated talking openly about boys loving and hooking up with other boys as a way to make you know they support you and love you,” she finished quietly, placing her hand on top of Even’s.

Shocked, Even’s mouth and mind could only formulate a single word response, “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Listen, the way they executed their idea was pretty shitty, but they’ve grown since then Even and they really love you. Maybe you and Mikael should have a one-on-one talk sometime soon to put some unresolved stuff to rest, yeah?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Even agreed. “I can’t believe they’re such idiots. Big, lovable idiots.”

“I know, you should have seen mamma’s face when they suggested the whole ‘dress-as-Even’s-favorite-color' thing. I think in that moment she was embarrassed Elias was half her, I swear.”

Sana doubled over in laughter as Even’s shoulders shook. As the two calmed down and a comfortable silence fell over them, Even’s smile became fond, as did Sana’s. The two locked eyes.

“Sana?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

“No problem, but I’m going to need you to pretend you’re sick, yeah? I need a pass to enter Norwegian late and I’ve already concocted a plan as to how I can get us two passes that includes you faking sick and me being a concerned bystander that came to the rescue.”

“Anything you say Sana, anything you say.”

With that, Even stood up, following Sana's lead, as the two took to the nurse's office, once again, in cahoots.


End file.
